Lashana Lynch: The black woman who will be the next 007

The next James Bond film will show the secret agent pass on the torch, as new reports claim that the next 007 will be played by British actress Lashana Lynch.

Lashana Lynch: The black woman who will be the next 007

Since Daniel Craig announced he was standing down as James Bond, debate has raged whether the next 007 should be a woman, or black. Now, the UK’s Mail on Sunday has revealed that she will be both – as British actress Lashana Lynch is said to take up the role.

According to the report, the upcoming, yet-to-be-titled 25th Bond film will reveal Lynch as the next 007 with Craig’s character coming out of retirement for one last mission.

Actors Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Naomie Harris and Lashana Lynch pose for a picture during a photocall for the British spy franchise’s 25th film set for release next year, titled “Bond 25” in Oracabessa, Jamaica April 25, 2019. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy

“There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says ‘Come in 007,’ and in walks Lashana who is black, beautiful and a woman,” a Bond insider claimed in the report. “It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman.”

However, traditionalists can relax: she’s not the new Bond, but a new character who takes over his secret agent number after he leaves MI6.

Lynch, 31, had a breakthrough role as the fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel, released earlier this year.

Originally from Hammersmith, West London, she made her debut in the 2011 drama Fast Girls, has appeared in Silent Witness and Death In Paradise and was a regular cast member on the short-lived 2015 BBC show Crims. She also played Rosaline Capulet in the American period drama series Still Star-Crossed, set after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

“This is a Bond for the modern era who will appeal to a younger generation while sticking true to what we all expect in a Bond film,” the source told the Mail on Sunday. “There are spectacular chase sequences and fights, and Bond is still Bond but he’s having to learn to deal with the world of #MeToo.”

Britain’s Prince Charles meets British actor Lashana Lynch as he tours the set of the 25th James Bond Film at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, Britain June 20, 2019. Photo Credit: Niklas Halle’n/Pool via REUTERS